Simon Ricketts
Sales Training Consultant

Simon’s professional background began with a career in the Military Police. He left the Forces at the age of 22 and entered the world of Direct Selling with Everest. Appointed Sales Manager after just 22 months, Simon went on to become an Advanced Facilitator and a TQM Lead Assessor for Caradon, who later bought Everest.

His success with the group led to him being promoted to TQM Programme Manager for the whole Doors and Windows Division in the UK and USA and later to Head of Sales Training at Everest. After winning the Institute of Professional Sales’ prestigious National Sales Trainer of the Year award, Simon went on to set up his own recruitment and training sales business. When a client invited Simon to join his Paper Merchant business, Simon couldn’t resist the opportunity of demonstrating the potent power of a professional Sales approach in turning around a company and he duly worked his magic bringing the business to a point where it could be sold.

Following a stint as Commercial Director, Simon was headhunted to join Arctic Paper as MD for the UK and scored a coup in becoming the first to introduce a direct sales force into the high quality Publishing and Design paper market. His radical new approach represented an increase in annual turnover from 45,000 to 60,000 tonnes. His entrepreneurial flair was then turned to the Publishing side of the business, where he instigated the introduction of publishing forums, inviting Publishers, Authors and even Green Peace to educational and unique networking events. The net result of this innovation was that Simon became the brainchild behind the first FSC certified “green” book in the UK and his efforts were recognised by the Institute of Professional Sales, who awarded him the Innovation in Sales Award in 2006.

Whilst forging ahead with these successes, Simon spent over 5 years trying to convince VCs to invest in his dream – to run a bar in the Caribbean! In September 2006 he convinced a consortium to invest $7.9M and buy a 30 acre plantation with a hotel and bar on Bequia, a tiny Caribbean island in the Grenadines. Receiving a better offer at the last minute from a private investor, he sold up and went on to establish The Firefly Bequia, which has since been quoted by Harpers Magazine as one of the top 25 destinations in the true Caribbean. Mission accomplished, Simon returned to the UK, to join market leader Computeach International (provider of IT skills and training courses) to help build their sales operation.

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